Big Thief’s exponential rise in stardom was in full display on the heels of their epic new record.

It didn’t take much, only 7 albums in 5 years from prolific main songwriter Adrienne Lenker, for Big Thief to build a following. The immediacy, warmth, and sheer power of their music have been gracefully accepted and embraced by the indie masses, and with good reason.

Big Thief by Alexa Viscius

Coming off their best and most expensive record to date “Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You”, Big Thief was tasked with replicating this immense output on a live stage to bigger shows and bigger audiences for this tour. Now, this can be a daunting task, especially considering many of their songs are on the more tranquil side where you need an engaged crowd for them to truly shine in a live setting.

Lenker and crew gave a sell-out crowd at The Observatory in North Park a peak as to how/why their meteoric rise is no fluke and rightfully deserved. Not only has Big Thief been prolific in their recorded output while they have been around, but they have played countless shows and you can definitely tell. Very few bands are as polished and in sync as Big Thief, just a simple look from Adrienne to the rest of the band can tell them to speed up/slow down, or change up the setlist which is just another example of their strengths. Maybe the most impactful thing about Big Thief is Lenker’s voice though, songs like “Change” from DNWMIBY highlight her soft stripped-down vocals, but then you get songs like “Not” where she wails like no other. There was no doubt throughout the show that they are one of the best artists in the genre right now.

Save for a 30 min delay and sound issues which cut their setlist short, Big Thief lived up to their stardom and showed how to replicate their peak songwriting form they are currently relishing into their performance prowess.